Principal Data Scientist

Faculty; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited Annual Leave Policy

Private healthcare and dental

Enhanced parental leave

Family-Friendly Flexibility

Sanctus Coaching

Hybrid Working

Job summary

A leading AI consultancy in Greater London is looking for a Principal Data Scientist to lead complex projects and mentor a talented team. The ideal candidate has a strong background in machine learning, particularly in Generative AI, and extensive experience within financial services. Responsibilities include serving as a technical authority, contributing to high-stakes projects, and acting as a thought leader. The role offers a hybrid working model and a range of generous benefits.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in academia or industry as a thought leader.
• Prior experience in financial services with impactful applications.
• Broad knowledge of machine learning techniques.
• Advanced coding skills in Python and experience with scalable codebases.
• Proficiency in strategic problem-solving for non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical leader on machine learning and advanced data science methods.
• Lead development of best practices and frameworks.
• Contribute to scoping and bid processes for large-scale projects.
• Own a portfolio of work and ensure successful project delivery.
• Act as a thought leader and represent the company at conferences.

Skills

Technical authority on machine learning

Generative AI expertise

Problem-solving

Python coding skills

Mentoring and management experience

Job description

Why Faculty?

We established Faculty in 2014 because we thought that AI would be the most important technology of our time. Since then, we’ve worked with over 350 global customers to transform their performance through human‑centric AI. You can read about our real‑world impact here.

We don’t chase hype cycles. We innovate, build and deploy responsible AI which moves the needle – and we know a thing or two about doing it well. We bring an unparalleled depth of technical, product and delivery expertise to our clients who span government, finance, retail, energy, life sciences and defence.

Our business, and reputation, is growing fast and we’re always on the lookout for individuals who share our intellectual curiosity and desire to build a positive legacy through technology.

AI is an epoch‑defining technology, join a company where you’ll be empowered to envision its most powerful applications, and to make them happen.

About the team

In our Professional and Financial Services Business unit, we bring everything we have learned in more than a decade of Applied AI, and use it to help our clients navigate a rapidly changing landscape. We develop and embed AI solutions which help firms become more efficient, enhance customer experience, and find the commercial upside in uncertain markets. Within the constraints of a highly regulated industry, we see so much opportunity for meaningful innovation and are proud to set the gold‑standard for marrying technical excellence with safe deployment.

About the role

As a Principal Data Scientist at Faculty, you will serve as a technical leader and domain expert who owns and drives the delivery of the most technically complex, high‑impact projects and programmes for our most important clients. You also will set the technical direction for the data science team, mentor, and develop them so our data scientists remain best in class.

This position focuses on deep individual contribution and technical excellence, influencing the broader data science community at Faculty.

What you’ll be doing:

• Serving as a technical authority on machine learning, Generative AI, and other advanced data science methods to deliver innovative and impactful solutions.

• Leading the development of shared resources, frameworks, and best practices adopted across teams and the company.

• Contributing to the scoping and bid processes for large‑scale, high‑stakes projects, influencing client decisions with technical expertise.

• Owning a portfolio of work within a specific sector, applying expert knowledge to deliver exceptional value to clients.

• Leading and mentoring project teams and direct reports, ensuring the successful delivery of high‑value and complex projects.

• Acting as a thought leader, publishing papers, and presenting at industry and scientific conferences to amplify a distinctive AI vision for our clients.

Who we’re looking for:

• You bring demonstrable technical ability, creativity and flexibility from your extensive experience (in academia, industry or both) as thought leader in this space.

• You’ll have prior experience working in or for financial services clients, with standout examples where you’ve led the delivery of distinctive applications that have driven commercial impact.

• You bring broad knowledge across a range of machine learning techniques, including experience building Generative AI and agentic AI applications with Large Language Models.

• You have advanced coding skills in Python and proven experience building and maintaining scalable codebases.

• You enjoy mentoring junior colleagues and have prior direct management experience, inspiring them to continually stretch and grow their technical skill.

• You are highly proficient in strategic problem‑solving and communicating solutions to non‑technical audiences, able to select appropriate solutions and balance innovation with practical implementation.

The Interview Process

1. Talent Team Screen (30 minutes)

2. Introduction to Business Unit Director (30 minutes)

3. Take Home Technical Assessment

4. Technical Interview (90 minutes)

5. Commercial & Principles Interview (90 minutes)

Our Recruitment Ethos

We aim to grow the best team – not the most similar one. We know that diversity of individuals fosters diversity of thought, and that strengthens our principle of seeking truth. And we know from experience that diverse teams deliver better work, relevant to the world in which we live. We’re united by a deep intellectual curiosity and desire to use our abilities for measurable positive impact. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations.

Some of our standout benefits:

• Unlimited Annual Leave Policy

• Private healthcare and dental

• Enhanced parental leave

• Family‑Friendly Flexibility & Flexible working

• Sanctus Coaching

• Hybrid Working (2 days in our Old Street office, London)

If you don’t feel you meet all the requirements, but are excited by the role and know you bring some key strengths, please don’t hesitate in applying as you might be right for this role, or other roles. We are open to conversations about part‑time hours.